North Port, Florida: Ronald Acuña Jr., the MVP of the National League, is anticipated to be ready for the Atlanta Braves opening day after a more comprehensive evaluation of his painful right knee revealed no significant problems.
On Monday night, Acuña left the Braves’ Florida spring training facility to be checked in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
ElAttrache discovered only inflammation in his right knee’s meniscus, the team said on Tuesday. Acuña may resume his baseball activities gradually and should be cleared to play when the Braves play their opening game of the regular season on March 28 at Philadelphia.
ENDORSED MEDIA
After a season in which he hit 40 home runs and stole 70 bases, Acuña became the first player in baseball history. After guiding Atlanta to its sixth consecutive NL East championship while hitting.337 with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, and 73 stolen bases, he was the unanimous choice for NL MVP.
Acuña injured his knee on Thursday during an exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins while running between second and third base. He played two more innings before leaving the game with many of the regular starters, but there were no urgent problems.
The next day, Acuña participated in batting practice, but when soreness persisted in the same knee that had suffered a season-ending injury in 2021, the team opted to take no chances.
The Braves sent Acuña to see the renowned California specialist who surgically repaired his knee after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in 2021 as a precaution.
With the confirmation that there was no structural damage, ElAttrache gave the Braves a huge sense of relief going into yet another season full of great hopes.
